Search

Background: Hydatidosis is one of the most common zoonotic diseases affecting general health due to the lack of effective treatment strategies. Hydatid cysts are commonly treated with benzimidazole (BZ) derivatives. However, their management is fraught with complications. Objective: This systematic review discusses recent efforts toward developing benzimidazole-based antihydatid nanodrugs. Methods: Data were retrieved using PRISMA guidelines from several databases, such as Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. Relevant articles published in English and Persian were retrieved in December 2021. Keywords related to the search process (combined or singular) included echinococcosis, hydatidosis, hydatid cysts, cystic echinococcosis, protoscolicidal effect, albendazole (ALB), mebendazole (MBZ), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), in vitro and in vivo. Results: Twenty-three research articles were eligible for further analysis after considering the inclusion/ exclusion criteria. This study indicates that ALB is the most prevalent synthetic drug incorporated into nanoparticles (n = 68.4%). Additionally, the study examined nanoparticles containing ALB sulfoxide (n = 31.5%). A total of three studies (n = 25%) were conducted with SLNs and two (n = 16.6%) with lipid nanocarriers (NLCs). BALB/c mice (58.3%) were used most frequently in vivo studies. Moreover, 50% of the laboratory animals were treated orally, and 33% were treated intraperitoneally. Conclusion: As the main treatment option for hydatid, ALB has been studied more thoroughly than other drugs when developing nano-based formulations. Nanomaterials like metal nanoparticles, nanopolymers, SLNs, and nanocrystals are being investigated for antiparasitic drug development to enhance therapeutic effectiveness and reduce side effects. The findings of this study lead to the hypothesis that nanoformulation of antiparasitic drugs may open up new opportunities for developing and formulating effective antihypertensive drugs.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic gram-negative pathogen with multiple mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics. This systematic review aimed to study the antibacterial effects of nanocomposites on efflux pump expression and biofilm production in P. aeruginosa. Methods: The search was conducted from January 1, 2000, to May 30, 2022, using terms such as (P. aeruginosa) AND (biofilm) AND (antibiofilm activity) AND (anti-Efflux Pump Expression activity) AND (nanoparticles) AND (Efflux Pump Expression) AND (Solid Lipid NPS) AND (Nano Lipid Carriers). Many databases are included in the collection, including ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and Cochrane. Results: A list of selected articles was retrieved by using the relevant keywords. A total of 323 published papers were selected and imported into the Endnote library (version X9). Following the removal of duplicates, 240 were selected for further processing. Based on the titles and abstracts of the articles, 54 irrelevant studies were excluded. Among the remaining 186 articles, 54 were included in the analysis because their full texts were accessible. Ultimately, 74 studies were selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Conclusion: Recent studies regarding the impact of NPs on drug resistance in P. aeruginosa found that various nanostructures were developed with different antimicrobial properties. The results of our study suggest that NPs may be a feasible alternative for combating microbial resistance in P. aeruginosa by blocking flux pumps and inhibiting biofilm formation.

Objective: This study has focused on anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity of curcumin. Methods: In this systematic review, anti-parasitic activity of Curcuma longa on Toxoplasma gondii was assessed. Therefore, several databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar, were searched from 2010 to 2020. Results: Of the 2200 papers retrieved between 2010 and 2020, six articles were reliable and were scrutinized. In 2 in vitro studies, the most used strain was the RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii, whereas among 4 in vivo studies, RH strain was found in 2 (50%) studies, Me49 strain in 1(25%) study, and RH and Me49 strain in 1 (25%) study. In four in vivo studies, the most used animal model was BALB/c, and Swiss albino was found in 1 study (25%) and Albino rats in 1 study (25%). Conclusion: Curcumin and nanoparticles formulated with curcumin are new and useful agents for the treatment of parasitic diseases and reduction of drug resistance. The success of this therapeutic approach stems from the specific action of Curcuma longa against parasites and pathogens.

Background: Hydatidosis is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. The aim of the current systematic review study was to clarify the effect of garlic on hydatid cyst in vivo and in vitro. Method: We performed our analyses up to Feb 20, 2021, in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. We systematically searched five English databases (Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid and Cochrane) and four Persian databases (Scientific Information Database [SID], Iran Medex, Iran Doc, and Magiran) with appropriate syntax. The data was extracted from the relevant articles and analyzed. Results: From 160 studies obtained by initial search, nine studies were selected for further analysis. Among 6 in vitro studies, 3 (50%) used methanolic extract, 2 (34%) hydroalcoholic and chloroformic extract, and 1 (16%) chloroformic extract. Two (67%) studies used BALB/c mice, and one study (33%) used Swiss albino mice. The method of treatment of mice in all studies was oral. The results showed that garlic has a mild to potent effect on hydatidosis, and this effect was more considerable in vitro than in vivo. Conclusion: Based on the results of various studies, it can be concluded that Allium sativum extract can be used as a suitable alternative to drugs such as albendazole or can be used as a complementary treatment to reduce the dose of the current drugs.

Hydatid cysts occur in the larval stage of

Background: In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were biologically synthesized from Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Okra) mucilage fraction (OM). Methods: Analytical techniques were employed to study the formation and properties of OM-ZnO NPs, including their morphology, shape, size distribution, and surface charges. Additionally, OM-ZnO NPs were assessed for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties. Results: UV-visible spectroscopy confirmed the formation of OM-ZnO NPs, evident by the appearance of an SPR peak at 368.8 nm. The FTIR spectroscopy demonstrated that OM functional groups contribute to the formation and stability of the NPs. Micrographs from TEM and SEM showed that OM-ZnO NPs ranged from 15-40 nm in diameter, whereas hydrodynamic diameter and surface charge values obtained from Zeta and DLS were 72.8 nm and 14.6 mv, respectively. XRD analysis indicated the OM-ZnO NPs were crystalline with a wurtzite structure and a crystallite size of 27.3 nm, while EDX revealed a zinc: oxygen ratio of 67.5:34. Further, the OM-ZnO NPs demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity in response to different types of bacteria. In the antioxidant assay, the OM-ZnO NPs scavenged DPPH with 68.6 % of the efficiency of ascorbic acid (100 %). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the cytotoxic efficacy of MO-ZnO NPs against MCF7 cells with an IC50 of 43.99 µg/ml. Overall, the green synthesis of ZnO NPs by OM was successful for many biological applications, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer. Moreover, OM-ZnO NPs can be applied as a biologically-derived nanotherapeutic agent.

Background: Acanthamoeba is one of the opportunistic parasites with a global prevalence. Currently, due to the side effects and the emergence of drug resistance to this parasite, much research has been performed on the use of nano-drugs to treat Acanthamoeba-caused diseases. Therefore, this systematic review study aims to evaluate new strategies for treating diseases caused by Acanthamoeba based on nanoparticles (NPs). Methods: We designed a systematic review based on the articles published in English between 2000 and 2022. Our search strategy was based on syntax and specific tags for each database, including ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and Cochrane. From the articles, those that had inclusion criteria were selected, and their data were extracted and analyzed. Results: In this study, 26 studies were selected. Metallic nanoparticles were mostly used against the Acanthamoeba species (80.7%). 19.2% of the studies used polymeric nanoparticles, and 3.8% used emulsion nanoparticles. Most studies (96.1%) were performed in vitro, and only one study (3.8%) was carried out in vivo. Silver NPs were the most used metallic nanoparticles in the studies. The best effect of the anti-Acanthamoeba compound was observed for green synthesized nanoparticles based on stabilization by plant gums, loaded with citrus fruits flavonoids hesperidin (HDN) and naringin (NRG) with a 100% growth inhibition at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. Conclusion: This study showed that chlorhexidine and other plant metabolites loaded with silver and gold nanoparticles increase the anti-Acanthambae activity of these nanoparticles. However, green synthesized nanoparticles based on stabilization by plant gums, loaded with citrus fruits flavonoids hesperidin (HDN) and naringin (NRG), showed the best anti-Acanthambae effect. Nevertheless, further studies should be performed to determine their safety for human use.

Background: Drug resistance is a current issue affecting parasites caused by Plasmodium. Therefore, researchers have expanded their studies on nanoparticles to find new and effective drugs that can treat drug-resistant strains. The present study systematically investigates the effect of different nanoparticles, including metal, polymer, and lipid nanoparticles, on Plasmodium berghei. Methods: In this study, English-language online literature was obtained from the databases Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and Cochrane to conduct a systematic review. In the search, we used the keywords: (Plasmodium Berghei) AND (Malaria) AND (Parasitemia) AND (antimalarial activity) AND (nanoparticles) AND (Solid lipid NPS) AND (Nano lipid carriers) AND (Artemether) AND (Chloroquine) AND (intraperitoneal) AND (in vivo). Initially, a total of 160 studies were retrieved from the search. After removing duplicates, 80 studies remained. After reviewing the title and abstract of each study, 45 unrelated studies were eliminated. Results: The remaining 35 studies were thoroughly reviewed using the full texts. The final result was 21 studies that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Conclusion: Using these findings, we can conclude that various nanoparticles possess antiparasitic effects that may be applied to emerging and drug-resistant parasites. Together, these findings suggest that nanostructures may be used to design antiparasitic drugs that are effective against Plasmodium berghei.

Background and Purpose: Curcuma longa L. is one of the most important medicinal plants used in traditional medicine. Its main compound, curcumin, has been widely reported for its biological properties. Here, we performed a systematic review of the effects of C. longa L. and its derivative curcumin on Aspergillus infections. Although some limitations in this systematic review study have been identified such as (i) the number of studies evaluating the efficacy of turmeric and its derivatives, such as curcumin, in fungal diseases such as Aspergillus is very small, and further in vitro and in vivo studies should be performed to better evaluate the efficacy of the plant; (ii) studies of the effects of turmeric and curcumin in different countries; (iii) the duration of treatment for in vivo studies was 2 to 12 weeks, so longer treatment intervals and longer duration are needed to better evaluate the treatment. Materials and Methods: In this review article, antifungal effects of C. longa and its derivative curcumin on the different strains of Aspergillus are discussed. The study data were obtained from various databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar, which were published by December 2019. The main criterion for entering data into the survey data was access to the English abstract at the search stage. The keywords used in the search included C. longa, curcumin, antifungal effect and Aspergillus. Of the 2,500 studies in the initial search, only 15 qualified for study inclusion, among which 9 (60%) were performed on the effect of curcumin against Aspergillus spp. The other 6 studies (40%) had focused on the antifungal effect of C. longa. Moreover, 9 studies (60%) were performed in vitro, 4 studies (27%) were performed in vivo and 2 studies (13%) were performed both in vivo and in vitro. Results: Studies have shown that C. longa has a significant effect on the development of the majority of microorganisms. Its predominant metabolite, curcumin, plays a major role in the biological activities of C. longa. Conclusion: Due to increased drug resistance, particularly antifungal, curcumin and its derivatives may be an appropriate option for the treatment of aspergillosis infections.

Zinc selenium nanoparticles (ZnSe NPs) are widely used in many industrial, environmental and biomedical fields. However, the biological potential of ZnSe NPs has not been studied in detail. The present study focused on ZnSe NPs algae-based synthesis using aqueous extract of seaweed, Gracilaria corticata. Successfully synthesized ZnSe NPs were characterized by analytical methods such as UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, DLS, Zeta potential and EDX analyses; additionally, the biological function of ZnSe NPs was performed. The ZnSe NPs exhibited a certain absorbance peak at 350–400 nm in the UV–vis spectrum. The FTIR showed the possible functional groups associated with biomolecules involved the ZnSe NPs synthesis. SEM and TEM demonstrated that ZnSe NPs were spherical in shape with size range of 50–250. XRD and EDX showed NPs crystallite size of 55.5 nm and their elemental composition that constitute selenium and zinc (1:1.5 ratio). These NPs showed antioxidant activity about 67% and antibacterial activity against broad spectrum of bacterial strains. Biofilm inhibition by ZnSe NPs was occurred on P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis at 50 and 40 μg/ml. Anticancer activity against HTB-9 (ATCC 5637) and KB (ATCC CCL-17) with IC50 of 19.24 and 28.42 μg/ml. In conclusion, the green synthesis of ZnSe NPs can provide the requisite criteria for therapeutic and preventive applications.

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by larval stages of the Echinococcus genus (metastasis). In this study, salicylate-coated Zinc oxide nanoparticles (SA-ZnO-NPs) were fabricated and characterized by SEM, FTIR and XRD analytical techniques. After that, different doses of SA-ZnO-NPs, SA and ZnO-NPs were taken to assess scolicidal potency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs were also used to evaluate the morphological deformities of treated protoscoleces. Furthermore, Caspase-37 inductions were examined in protoscoleces cysts treated with all formulations. Based on SEM and DLS analyses, the size of SA-ZnO-NPs was between 30-40 nm, with a spherical shape. The FTIR spectrum verified the presence of SA functional groups on the ZnO coating. At 20 min, SA-ZnO-NPs at 2000 μg/ml exhibited the greatest activity on protoscolices with 100% mortality, followed by ZnO-NPs at 1500 μg/ml at 10 min and SA alone at 2000 μg/ml at 30 min. The activation of Caspase-37 apoptotic enzyme was determined for 2000 μg/ml of SA-ZnO-NPs, ZnO-NPs and SA to be 16.4, 31.4, and 35.7%, respectively. The SEM image revealed apoptogenic alterations and the induction of tegument surface wrinkles, as well as abnormalities in rostellum protoscolices. According to the current study, SA-ZnO-NPs have a high mortality rate against hydatid cyst protoscolices. As a result, further studies on the qualitative assessment of these nanoformulations in vivo and preclinical animal trials seem to be required. Furthermore, the adoption of nano-drugs potentially offers alternative therapeutic approaches to combat hydatid cysts.

Toxocarosis is an important emerging zoonotic disease, which is caused by larvae of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, the most widely distributed nematode parasites of dogs and cats. The soil, where Toxocara eggs become infective, is the natural source of infection. The aim of this work was to determine the levels of soil contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in Sari district, north of Iran, in order to estimate the risk of infection of the population living in this region. A total of 141 soil samples were collected from 12 parks, 12 primary schools and 45 backyards from three regions. Soil samples were investigated for the presence of Toxocara eggs by flotation technique using sucrose solution and examined under light microscope using 10× and 40× objective. Out of 141 soil samples, 67 (47.5%) were found to contain Toxocara spp. eggs. The contamination rate in public parks, primary schools and backyards were observed 50%, 58.3% and 33.3%, respectively. The comparison of soil contamination rate from different areas, public parks, primary schools and backyards, was statistically significant (χ2=6.00, d.f.=2 and P=0.049). The public parks, backyards and primary schools, which are main places that children play, are suitable for defecation of dogs and cats. The knowledge of the soil contamination with Toxocara eggs indicates the need to take an appropriate and effective measures to prevent the infection.

Background: Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is a popular spice, containing curcumin that is responsible for its therapeutic effects. Curcumin with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and antimicrobial activities has led to a lot of research focusing on it over the years. This systematic review aimed to evaluate researches on anti-Plasmodium berghei activity of curcumin and its derivatives. Methods: Our study was performed according to PRISMA guidelines and was recorded in the database of systematic review and preclinical meta-analysis of CAMARADESNC3Rs (SyRF). The search was performed in five databases, namely Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar from 2010 to 2020. The following keywords were searched: “Plasmodium berghei”, “Medicinal Plants”, “Curcumin”, “Concentration”, Animals kind”, “Treatment Durations”, “Routes of Administration” and “in vivo”. Results: Of the 3,500 papers initially obtained, 14 articles were reliable and were thus scrutinized. Animal models were included in all studies. The most commonly used animal strain were Albino (43%) followed by C57BL/6 (22%). The other studies used various murine strains, including BALB/c (14%) and ICR (7%). Two (14%) studies did not mention the strain of animal model used. Curcumin alone or in combination with other compounds depending on the dose used, route of administration, and animal model showed a moderate to strong anti-Plasmodium berghei effect. Conclusion: According to the studies, curcumin has anti-malarial effects on Plasmodium berghei and, however, its effect on human Plasmodium is unclear. Due to the side effects and drug resistance of current drugs in the treatment of human malaria, the use of new compounds with few or no side effects such as curcumin is recommended as an alternative or complementary treatment

Medicinal plants are known as one of the most effective approaches to overcome parasitic infections, which has been used several years ago. Curcuma longa (C. longa) that is commonly used as a food additive in cooking. Curcumin as the major compound extracted from C. longa serves for the various therapeutic and preventive purposes. The present review paper is aimed to investigate the antiparasitic effects of curcumin reported in recent years. The data was collected from several databanks including ISI, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, and SID (Scientific Information Database, Iran). After a primary study of the retrieved data, the most relevant literature was subjectively classified based on the type of parasite. Then, the effect of curcumin treatment on various parasites was assessed regarding the kind of parasite. According to the results, curcumin manifested a high potential to serve as an effective drug against various parasites. Therefore, further studies in detail on curcumin might offer a new perspective that helps to design efficient formulations for hampering the infections caused by parasites in both human and animals.

Background The preferred treatment for management of toxoplasmosis is the combined use of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine. However, there are a wide number of adverse side effects with these medications. Recent research has focused on the use of chitosan for the treatment of Toxoplasma gondii infections. This review was performed to obtain a better understanding of the in vivo and in vitro effects of chitosan on T. gondii strains. Methods The current study was carried out according to the PRISMA guideline and registered in the CAMARADES-NC3Rs Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Facility (SyRF) database. The search was performed in five scientific databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, with date limits of 1992 to December 2019. The search was restricted to articles published in the English language. The words and terms searched were “Toxoplasma gondii”, “Chitosan”, “nanoparticles” and “anti-toxoplasmosis” with AND or OR. Results Of 2500 manuscripts, 9 met the eligibility criteria for review. All studies used the RH strain of T. gondii, with Me49 and PRU each included in one study. Five studies (56%) were performed in vivo, one study in vitro and 3 studies included in vivo and in vitro tests. Conclusion Considering the low toxicity and the high inhibitory potency of chitosan against T. gondii, chitosan nanoparticles show potential as an alternative treatment for T. gondii infections.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of methanolic extract of P. longum (PLM) against protoscolices of hydatid cyst in vitro. Four different concentrations of PLM extract (25, 50, 100 and 150 mg/ml) were used for the experiments. The metabolites in the PLM extract were characterized by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed the highest lethality of PLM extract in 50 mg/ml for 60 min exposure. The IC50 value obtained about 20 mg/ml for 60 min of PLM extract exposure. In this study, valuable findings were obtained for the first time about the scolicidal activity of P. longum, which is expected to conduct further studies in this field in the future.

Echinococcosis is among the most underestimated parasitic diseases that have universal distribution. The primary treatment is surgery. Hence, the development of new and more effective scolicidal agents with lower side effects is crucial. This study evaluated the therapeutic effects of Urtica dioica and Cassia fistula extracts as a scolicidal herbal drug in vitro. Suspension of protoscoleces was obtained from the infected livers of sheep in Khorramabad, Iran. Hydro-alcoholic solution was extracted from the leaves and stems of Urtica dioica and the fruit of Cassia fistula. Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces were treated with the essential oils at concentrations of 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL for 10, 20, 30, and 60 min and their viability was evaluated by the eosin staining test. The extract of Urtica dioica at a concentration of 100 mg/mL killed 90.51% of protoscoleces after 60 min. Cassia fistula also killed 67.74% of protoscoleces after 60 min. This study obtained satisfactory results. Urtica dioica and Cassia fistula extracts are promising protoscolicides and can be used in the treatment of hydatid cysts and pre-surgically to prevent secondary infections.

Toxoplasma gondii is the global protozoa that could cause contamination in warm-blooded animals and is considered among the opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised patients. Among the people at risk, toxoplasmosis infection can lead to the incidence of severe clinical manifestations, encephalitis, chorioretinitis, and even death. The present research is focused on the new research for the treatment of toxoplasmosis parasitic disease using medicinal herbs. The search was performed in five English databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar up from 2010 to December 2019. Studies in any language were entered in the searching step if they had an English abstract. The words and terms were used as a syntax with specific tags of each database. Out of 1832 studies, 36 were eligible to be reviewed. The findings showed that 17 studies (47%) were performed in vitro, 14 studies (39%) in vivo, and 5 studies (14%) both in vivo and in vitro. The studies showed that the plant extracts can be a good alternative in reducing the toxoplasmosis effects in the host and the herbal extracts can be used to produce natural product-based drugs affecting toxoplasmosis with fewer side-effects than synthetic drugs.

Satureja khuzestanica Jamzad is a species native to Iran and is highly important in Southwestern regions. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family and grows in different climates. A number of pharmacological properties such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-thyroid, antioxidant, and diuretic have been attributed to this plant. : In recent years, a wide range of biological properties, extract, and essential oil of Satureja khuzestanica has been studied by researchers. In the present study, Scopus, SID, ISI, Google Scholar, and PubMed indices were used to extract research articles. No publication time constraint was considered, and the keyword “Satureja khuzestanica” was used to search articles. All extracted articles were examined by two expert researchers and those on the biologic and fundamental science properties of this plan entered the study. Results showed that S. khuzestanica has extensive research and medicinal applications. Considering the economic and medical importance of S. khuzestanica, it is hoped that more extensive studies can be conducted in the future on the use of compounds and derivatives of this plant in order to obtain herbal medications to treat pathogens in human and animal.

Curcumin is one of the important natural compounds that is extracted from turmeric. This compound and its derivatives have numerous biological properties, including antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and healing effects. Extensive research in various fields has been conducted on turmeric as it is widely used as a food additive. The significant antifungal activity is one of the major effects of curcumin. In this paper, recent studies on the effects of different forms of curcumin drug on the candidiasis were systematically examined and discussed. The data in this study were extracted from the articles and reports published in the Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus databases. After the preliminary investigation, relevant reports were selected and classified based on the incorporated formulation and purpose of the study. After a systematic discussion of the data, it was found that the use of medicinal forms based on nanoparticles can increase the absorption and target the controlled release of curcumin with a more effective role compared to other formulations. Consequently, it can be concluded that new methods of modern medicine can be employed to increase the efficacy of natural pharmaceutical compounds used in the past. In this regard, the present study analyzed the effect of curcumin against various Candida infections, using the recent data. It was found that applying a combination of drug formulation or the formulation of curcumin and its derivatives can be an effective strategy to overcome the medicine resistance in fungal infections, especially candidiasis.

Fasciolosis is a public health problem originally transmitted from livestock. Although molecular analysis of the nuclear and mitochondrial genes allow discrimination between the two known species of Fasciola, F. hepatica and F. gigantica, these markers do not permit the detection of hybrid forms. On the other hand, molecular analysis of the pepck and pold genes from Fasciola do permit the detection of hybrid isolates and this study has not yet been performed on specimens from human and domesticated animals in Iran. Therefore, the aim of this study was to molecularly analyze Fasciola isolates using both conventional and the two new genetic markers mentioned above. Fifty-three adult Fasciola worms were isolated from the livers of 28 domesticated animals, including sheep, cattle and goat. Moreover, an adult worm was obtained from the bile duct of an infected woman during endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancratography (ERCP). Targeted fragments from the ITS-1, NDI and COX1 genes were amplified using specific primers. PCR products were sequenced and genetically analyzed using MEGA v.7 and DnaSP software. Additionally, the pepck and pold regions were amplified and analyzed using multiplex PCR and RLFP-PCR, respectively. Multiple alignment of sequenced fragments showed highest similarity among the ITS-1 sequences isolated from all four hosts in comparison to the other genes. Furthermore, sequence diversity across the COX1 was higher than the NDI and ITS-1. Diversity among sequences isolated from cattle was higher than those from sheep and goat in all three genes. Tajima's D and Fu's Fs were negative and statistically significant for all the genes except ITS-1. Phylogenetic trees showed that the human F. hepatica isolate was closer to sheep isolates. The results of the pepck and pold analyses showed that all isolates were F. hepatica and there were no hybrid forms among samples. The molecular analyses corroborated this finding.

MicroRNAs appear as small molecule modifiers, which improve many new findings and mechanical illustrations for critically important biological phenomena and pathologic events. The best-characterized non‐coding RNA family consists of about 2600 human microRNAs. Rich evidence has revealed their crucial importance in maintaining normal development, differentiation, growth control, aging, modulation of cell survival or apoptosis, as well as migration and metastasis as microRNAs dysregulation leads to cancer incidence and progression. By far, microRNAs have recently emerged as attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. The rationale for developing microRNA therapeutics is based on the premise that aberrantly expressed microRNAs play a significant role in the emergence of a variety of human diseases ranging from cardiovascular defects to cancer, and that repairing these microRNA deficiencies by either antagonizing or restoring microRNA function may yield a therapeutic benefit. Although microRNA antagonists are conceptually similar to other inhibitory therapies, improving the performance of microRNAs by microRNA replacement or inhibition that is a less well- described attitude. In this assay, we have condensed the last global knowledge and concepts regarding the involvement of microRNAs in cancer emergence, which has been achieved from the previous studies, consisting of the regulation of key cancer‐related pathways, such as cell cycle control and the DNA damage response and the disruption of profile expression in human cancer. Here, we have reviewed the special characteristics of microRNA replacement and inhibition therapies and discussed explorations linked with the delivery of microRNA mimics in turmeric cells. Besides, the achievement of biomarkers based on microRNAs in clinics is considered as novel non-invasive biomarkers in diagnostic and prognostic assessments.

Background There are little data on the prevalence of serological markers of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in pregnant women in Iran. Objectives This study was designed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women in Lorestan, west of Iran. Patients and methods Serum samples of 827 pregnant women who lived in rural (36.8%) and urban areas (63.2%) of Lorestan were collected during 2007-2008. Data were obtained through questionnaires. Samples were first screened for anti-HCV and anti-HBc by ELISA. Those who were positive for anti-HBc were tested for HBsAg. Results Anti-HBc was found in 28 of 827 pregnant women (overall prevalence, 3.4%; 14 of 523 in urban areas, 2.7%; 14 of 304 in rural areas, 4.6%). Of the 28 positive samples, 6(0.7%) were positive for HBs-Ag. Only 2 samples (0.2%) were anti-HCV-positive. Conclusions These results underscore the need for prenatal screening for HBV infection in pregnant women and treatment of newborns from HBsAg-positive mothers.More studies are needed to identify risk factors of HCV infection and highlight the importance of HCV screening and treatment programs.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a well-known, commonly found pathogen by high proliferative activity in nucleated cells. This parasite has infected nearly one-third of the world’s population. Infection can result in chorioretinitis in immunocompetent hosts, encephalitis in HIV/AIDS positive patients and spontaneous abortion or neonatal death in fetuses infected with congenital toxoplasmosis. Development of vaccines for toxoplasmosis is of major importance for reducing routes of disease transmission among various host species in the world. Live attenuated vaccines resemble natural infectious agents very closely. Therefore, these vaccines are good enhancers of the immune system, often imparting lifelong immunity with only one or two doses. In this study, we review the current status of live attenuated vaccine development for Toxoplasma infection.